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Compound Sound returns for round two

With Denver’s various music festivals leaving the Mile High City this coming summer, a more recent festival addition, christened with the fitting name Compound Sound, has started to gain stature in the music scene a short trek outside of Denver.

A two-hour drive out of Denver will take festival goers to private lands in Carpenter, WY for 2019’s Fourth of July weekend. The festival begins on the fourth with a VIP barbecue and welcome party before three days of live music, camping, food, healing, art, yoga, and vendors commence.

The one-stage festival features headliners SoDown, the “28-year old saxophonist and bass music producer from Boulder, CO” and Denver-based electronic/dance producer, Jantsen. Unlike Cheyenne Frontier Days, Compound Sound nourishes music fans with a wider variety of genres outside of the country line-up offered at other Wyoming-based festivals. The festival features some of Denver and Colorado’s finest musicians and producers in a three-phase lineup announcement. The 28-name phase one lineup, that has already been announced, includes: A Mac & The Height, Beak Nasty, Chewy&Bach, Evanoff, and Kaleid (making up one-half of the brains behind the full-fledged festival). The other phases of the lineup (two and three), as well as a silent disco feature, await announcement in the coming months, February through April.

The lineup also features a showcase from Denver-based collective, Sub.mission, who work to innovate Denver’s electronic and dubstep music scene.

The festival, only featuring one stage, sets itself apart from last year because the music will play continuously over the course of the weekend. Organizers hope that concert goerswill reconnect with nature over the course of the weekend while camping outdoors.

Justin Long from Boogie Groove Entertainment said, “We offer a diverse music experience, and it is created and run entirely independently of corporate promotion companies. It’s not only about the music for us but also yoga, art, workshops, healing, and more are a vital part of the Compound Sound experience… We’re also showcasing more genres like EDM, Jam, Funk, Hip-Hop, and we cater to the younger crowd of festival goers. We’re providing this unique experience while entirely independent of corporate promotion companies.”

Other features of the festival include upgrades like Slip N’ Slides, an art truck, various art installations that urge festival goer contribution, and a full-immersion dome experience. The festival also strongly believes in the “pack in, pack out” idea of leave no trace. Campers are expected to leave festival grounds as they found it.

Though organizers have certainly put lots of work into the weekend, the festival’s growth hinges on attendance from young people and students like Aileen Sweeney. “I personally wouldn’t make the drive or camp for a few local bands,” Sweeney, a music business major, stated. “It sounds like it could be really cool, but to me, right now, it just isn’t there.”

The festival remains young, making it difficult to say whether the experience at Compound Sound can work its way into the local zeitgeist or whether the festival will remain too niche to roust Coloradans from their homes.